Alsace villages to visit: Andlau, Bas-Rhin

Facts

Map for print-out 6 km south-east of Barr. 86 ha Kastelberg, Muenchberg, Wiebelsberg Rebberg, Brandhof Hotell Kastelberg is luxurious and reasonably priced. Alsace-route-des-vins

Andlau was founded in the 9th century around a monastry. The monastry was built by a wife of king Carl III, Charles le Gros. As she could not give birth to children she as sent out into the wilderness. There, she met a bear who scratched its paws on the ground. The qyueen thought that the scratches resembled a map, and interpreted this as a sign of God and used the map to find the perfect location for the monastry.

The bear is still a symbol for Andlau. For sure, the decorative cookie, shaped as a bear, that you get with the local ice-cream would never had been put there unless the tale were true. Right?

Andlau has only 86 ha of vineyards in a narrow valley. The geology is extremely complex, and the three Grands Crus are very different in style.

Wiebelsberg is the largest Grand Cru, and its sandstone gives relatively light and lively Rieslings. Moenchberg, on granite, gives succulent wines. Here Pinot Gris performs very well. From Kastelberg, a unique terroir on schist, a handful of growers produce sone of Alsace most exciting wines, loaded with minerality.

Andlau has few but brilliant producers. Do not miss this tucked-away gem in Alsace!

Producers to visit

One of Alsace most respected and progressive growers, a pioneer in biodynamic viticulture. The style is demanding but the wines have excellent fruit and eternal life. A new vineyard, Clos Rebberg provides a good alternative to the Grands Crus at a moderate price. Guy Wach is a brilliant winemaker who has just recenly been discovered. Wach makes wine from all three Grands Crus at very attractive prices (€11-15 in 2007). The style is classic but thrilling with true terroir characters. Offers very nice accomodation. Rémy Gresser is a former chairman of CIVA, very active and dynamic. Making wines from three Grand Cru, Gresser would rank no 1 in at last 90 of the villages of Alsace.